Catching device



v March 29, 1932. R 5 R 1,851,305

CATCHING DEVICE Filed Nov. 11. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l /v VENTOR ROY FISHER March 29, 1932. HER 1,851,305

.CATCHING DEVICE Filed Nov. :11, 1929 2 Sheets-Shae 2 FIG. 8

. INVENTOR /O ROYF'ISHER Patented Mar. 29 1932 UNITE-D, s'rA're-s BOY rlsnnaorjnos moms, enmomwm eii renme DEVICE v Applieationf filed Iovember 11,' 1928. Serial No. 406,320.

In this specification, and the accompanying drawings, I shall describe and show a preferred form of my invention, and especially mention certain of its more important objects. I do not limit myself to the forms disclosed, since various changes and adaptations may be made therein without departing from the essence of m invention as hereinafter v claimed; and ob ects and advantages, other than those specifically mentioned, are included within its scope.

My improved invention relates to aircraft and auxiliary appurtenances so co-related as to be particularly adapted for collection of articles and more especially mail while flying. Its use is of paramount importance for cities where landing fields are unavailable and impractical. In combination with the apparatus a'forementioned is a mail runway guide which not only supports the mailbag but also provides means for imparting an initial speed to the bag to reduce the force of impact.

The object of this invention is to provide improved suspension means for the'pickup of due to impact.

Another object is to provide improved means for manually controlling and co-ordinating the movements of the various operating parts of the apparatus synchronically.

Other objects and advantages may hereinafter appear, but the objects hereinbefore mentioned broadly set forth the novel features attained. g L Referring to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one form of make up which might be deemed a preferred embodiment of the invention. r

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an aeroplane showing the receiving portion of the catching apparatus in extended position.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the complete catching apparatus. Fig. 3 is a sectional. detail of the cable drum and spring control for absorbing shock.- Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a co-ordinating aerial runway and apparatus for initially starting the travel of the bag.

mad while on the wing, and adjustable as to height, and positive means to eliminate shock.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of'the mail bag and its tangible supports.

-' Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the detachable mail bag supporting and releasable members. 65 .Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 are wiring diagrams.

The aeroplane 1, a monoplane type of aircraft now used extensively for transporting air mail is selected as a fitting example whereupon to mount my improved apparatus although it is adapted for mounting similarly on air ships and Zeppelin types of navigable aircrafts.

The mail catching apparatus is shown in extended position in Fig. 1 and when in normal position is contained within the fuselage, the bottom portion 3 of the catching screen closing the pit opening 2 in the bottom thereof. A

Said catching screen further comprises a collapsible basket, the sides 10 and 11 and rear portion 12 being made of netting, supported on ropes or cables 4 and 5 by attaching rings or other suitable means 14.

Upon'the ends of the downwardly extending cables 4 and 5 are fastened spring seats! and 9, which supportthe recoil springs 6 and 8 thus affording a resilient mounting and initial shock absorbing means when the catching device contacts with the mailbag.

There is'a front portion 13 running athwart the basket to prevent spill "of thebag after it has been picked up. Y

The catching apparatus just described is in turn resiliently mounted upon a pair of sheaves 15 and 16, set forth more clearly in' detail in Fig. 2. Said sheaves are interconnected by a hub 17 and are oscillatively mounted upon an internal shaft 18, non-rotatahly supported at its ends by bearing blocks 31;

The resilient and oscillatable mounting comprises a coil spring 9 which is reirbactive, see Fig. 3, it having one end fastened within a slot in the axle 18 and the other end connected with a pin 21 which is journaled in one flange of the sheave 16.

As the catching device is lowered from its normal to catching position, tension is stored up in the spring 19, so that when it is desired l is to elevate the catching apparatus, the tension in the spring will automatically re-wind the cables 4 and 5 about the drum thusxelevating the catching apparatus upwardly into the fuselage.

Said catching apparatuswhile in flight is directed in a path, see Figs. 4, 5 and 6, wherein is sus ended a mail bag 32by means of a rope 34 astened about the throat portion 33 and having terminal portions 35 adapted for detachable release from a supporting clip 36, provided with a hub 37 which in turn is fastened to parallel ropes 38 of a runway or guide later to be described and which is placed 5 in said path of flight traversed by the aircraft.

The 'aforedescribed catching apparatus rotatively mounted upon its supporting shaft 18 is provided also with a manually controlled device for unwinding and rewinding itsdsupporting cables about the sheaves an 16.

Said device is inter-connected with the.

shaft 18 by a sprocket chain 23 engaging a 5 sprocket 22. In turn the sprocket chain 23 also engages with a sprocket 24. Said sprocket 24 is mounted upon a shaft 25 journaled in the sides of the fuselage of the aeroplane.

A ratchet 26 and pawl 27 journaled in a bearing by means of a pin 28 is provided for in connection with the automatic and manual control to govern the unwinding. and,

rewinding of the cables upon their respective sheaves. 1

A crank 29 affords means for manually completing the rewinding of the cables sufficiently to close the opening 2 within the bottom of the basket receiving portions when tlhere is insuflicient tension in the recoil spring The weight of the basket gravitates it downwardly when the pawl is manually released from the ratchet, until it is counteracted by the tension in the recoil spring when it is necessary to manually operatethe crank in the further lowering of the apparatus.

Manually holding the ends of the rope 34 and standing in the path of a flying plane, it would be feasible to have the mailvmanually directed .in the catching apparatus by swooping down with the aeroplane.

However it is deemed preferable to provide a co-operating runway in the path of flight and to co-ordinate with the speed of the flying lane, means to give a supported mailbag an initial speed before the catching device of the aeroplane contacts with the mail bag by having t e catching device first disrupt a wire to jset a motor in operation whereby said mail wire in its ath to stop operation of the motor after the pick /up has been made.

The disclosure of this part of the co-ordination mechanism follows in detail by further reference to Figs. 4, 5, and 6, and the wiring diagrams shown in Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10.

bag is given an lnitial speed and a further As hereinbefore referred to as a special object for picking up mail where available landing fields are impractical, or in downtown districts of large cities, it is necessary to provide a means whereby the mail may be picked up as is now done by fast mail trains in small'towns and cities.

This may be accomplished in a manner as set forth in Fig. 4 wherein is illustrated a runway and guide adapted to be mounted upon tall buildings or towers, the same being suitably lighted by glare lights to enable the aviator to control h1s plane in an unfailing manner upon approaching same.

This co-operating mechanism comprises the runway having parallel side endless cables 38 upon which are mounted the, releasing clips 36 by means of the hubs 37. Said slips 36 have an open eye outwardly directed in the direction of the travel of the aeroplane. v

Inserted in said open eye portion are the ends 35 of the tangible" cord 34, which supports the mail bag 32 in catching position.

Said endless carrying cables 38 are mounted upon a series of'pulleys 39 rotative upon their axles 40 which are journaled in standards 41, 42, 43 and 44 placed on each side of the 'runwa Outwardly extended from said standards are projecting arms which not only support said pulleys but additional arms 45, 46, 47 and 48 are also provided for fastening the starter and stop wires 49 and 50 thereto, the interruption of which automatically start and stop the motor.

These wires are always replaced after each pick up by fastening the same to the conduc- The motor is supported by the usual base 61a and it together with the bearings 87 and 88 are. anchored'in any suitable manner, not shown.

The manner of operating the runway mechanism to give "an initial speed to the mail bag before it is picked up will now be disclosed in detail by referring to Fig. 7 showing the'electrical hook up. Such is the arrangement when the system is put up ready for use and the @art and stop wires 49 and 50 are pulled across and fastened to the conductor horns 92 and 93 extending from side columns of the runway.

The aforesaid wires 49' and 50 arev to be replaced after each pick up;

Describing now in detail the wiring diagram, 49 represents a wire ex osed at the en v at the outgoing end of the runway and interruption of this wire cause the motor to stop.

51 indicates a battery (low voltage) for the interruption circuit to be interrupted by the on-coming and out-going basket of the aeroplane. 52 is a small size electro-magnet or solenoid. 53 is a small size iron core which drops down on lever 56 when the electric current is interrupted. 54 is a larger size electro-magnet of solenoid and 55 is a larger size iron core which drops down on lever 56 when the-electric current is interrupted in 54. 56 is a lever carrying contact at end to close motor circuit to carry mail bag 32 forward at preliminary speed; The fulcrum 57 of the lever 56 also transmits electric current to the lever. The counterweight 58 is so adj usted that the down falling core 55 shall be able to tilt'lever 56 clockwise and interrupt contacts 59 and 60 which transmit current to motor brush. The numeral 61 is the commutator and 62 the shaft of the motor. 63 is the shunt field coil at motor 77 is in a resistance to it, used at forward run only. 64 and 65 are terminals of the shunt field coil of motor running to the double pole reversing switch, reversing direction of current in shuntfield coil. 66 and 67 are the left and right arms of the double pole reversing switch. 68 is the bakelite connection between and 72 are terminal contacts for arms 66 and 67 respectively. 73 is contact at terminal of additional resistance, 77 and 74, 75 and 76 are terminal contacts of wires 78, 79, and respectively. 77 is an additional resistance to motor shunt field coil 63. It increases the speed at the forward motion of the mail bag (only used and switched in at the forward motion) the motor running faster when the field is weak.

78, 79 and 80 are wire connections to the double pole reversing switch, while 81 and 82 are wires to the line voltage. The glare lamp 83 is not included in the circuit but may be energized from any convenient source of electricity, not shown. 84 is'the cycles of operation of the motor be analyzed. 1

Referring specifically to Fig. Sds shown I the direction of the flow of current and rotation of motor when the basket of the aeroplane comes into the runway and interrupts wire 49 thus starting the motor.

The coil or electro-magnet 52 is losing energization (by the interruption of the wire 49) and the iron core 53 therefore falls down on top of the lever 56 and forces the left end down whereby the contacts 59 and 60 are closed and the motor starts rotating thus im- Fig. 10 illustrates the manner of reversing the motor by the operator of the station so.

that the clips for the mail bag suspension are returned to normal starting position. fFor said reversing operation, the operator puts one hand or finger on lever 56, making contact, and also pushes with the'other hand or finger the knob or handle 69"to the rear (re-- versing the field) and then releases both knobs when reverserunof the motor is sufficient to complete the operation. Then wires 49 and 50 are renewed and a new mail bag is put in place.

This wiring and switch arrangement'has the advantage that the forward and backward motion of the motor can be-quickly varied and the position of the mail bag fixed on the runway by simply moving-push button or arm 69 forward or backward. During such time the lever 56 will also he pushed down,

thus giving a safety feature because moving of'the handle 69 alone would not give any resultin the operation of the system.

A brief description of the operation will sufiice to now complete the disclosure. 7

As a typical example let it be supposed a flying aircraft is approaching a mail delivery station for the pickup of a mail bag.-

The pilot of the ship being attracted by the signal lamps of the mail station adjusts his mail catching apparatus in position as shown in ig. 1.

He first releases the pawlfrom the ratchet allowing the catching device to gravitatedownyvardly against the opposition of the recoil spring 19. The speed of the plane will causethe catching appar'atusfto trail slightly behind the vertical. 9 r

When a farther lowering of the catching device is desired than the recoil spring .will permit, the pilot operates the crank against.

the opposition of the recoil Asthe glopels his craft by the pilot approaches the runway or guide he ide of various well own instruments so t at the catching ap paratus contacts with wire 49, starting the motor and imparting an initial speed to the mailbag before the catchin apparatus picks up the mail bag by detac ing it from its holdings in the clips at either side of the runway. After the pick up the catching de vice interrupts the wire causing the motor to stop. At such time as is necessary to mount another bag for pick up, the operator of the station reverses the motor. Such procedure was fully analyzed in conjunction with the disclosure relating to the wiring diagrams. As soon as the mail bag is caught in the basket the recoil springs 6 and 8 absorb part of the force due to impact, an additional rotative force combined with additional energy being stored up in the recoil spring 19. v.

Simultaneously with the latter procedure the pilot releases the pawl, thus allowing the energy stored up in the recoil spring 19 to automatically elevate the catching device upwardly into the fuselage, the pilot completing the operation b rotating the crank sufliciently to close t e port opening in the fuselage with the bottom of. the mail catching apparatus.

In said invention is claimed:

1. The combination with the fuselage of an aeroplane having a port opening in the bottom, of a mail receiver suspended by cables from said luselage, means within the fuselage upon which said cables are hung for moving said receiver away from and into said port 0 ning, the bottom of said mail receiver provi ing a closure for said port openin 2. The combination with an aerop an" fuselage having a bottom port opening, of a mail rece ver suspended by cables from said fuselage, means within the fuselage upon which said cables are hung for moving the receiver away from and into said port opening, and shock absorbing means on said cables for the said receiver.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with an aeroplane having a fuselage with an opening in the bottom thereof, of a pair of sheaves, fixed to rotate within the fuselage, a pair of cables hun upon said sheaves, a mail receiver mounte on said cables, and resilient means connected said cables, and resilient means connected to one of said sheaves yieldingly opposing the unwinding of the sheaves.

5. In an aeroplane fuselage having a bottom port, a pair of sheaves mounted to rotate within said fuselage, cables hung on said sheaves, a mail receiver hun on said cables and having a base shaped to c ose said bottom port, resilient means-urging the rotation of said sheaves to draw the receiver into said port, a crank for manually rotating the sheaves, and a manually operated ratchet mechanism in connection with the sheaves for checking the unwinding of the sheaves.

6. The combination with the fuselage of an aeroplane having a port opening in the bottom, of a mail receiver, a dual suspension cable for holding said receiver suspended below the fuselage, winding means in the fuselage from which said cables are hung, and

. means for locking said winding means to maintain the receiver suspended in any desired position. v

7. In an aeroplane fuselage, a manually operable. hoist including drums, a pair of cables hung on the drums of said hoist, a mail receiver slidable on said cables, and buffer springs at the cable ends on which the receiver is seated.

8. In an aeroplane having a fuselage with an opening inthe bottom thereof, a manually operable hoist including drums, a pair of cables hung on the drums of said hoist and passing through said opening, a mail receiver slidable on said cables, springs at the cable ends on which said receiver is seated,and means in connection with said hoist yieldingly urgin rotation of the drums to draw the receiver into the fusela e.

9. In an aeroplane uselage, a stationary shaft, drums rotatable on the shaft, cables hung on said drums and terminating at the bottom in spring seats, a mail receiver slidable on the cables, buffers on the cables between the receiver and the said seats, means on said shaft yieldingly urging rotation of the drums to draw the receiver into the fuselage, and aratchet mechanism in connection with the. drums to stop the descent of the receiver.

' ROY FISHER.

to one of the sheaves for opposing the unwinding of said cables and for aiding the rewinding of the cables.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with an aeroplane fuselage having a bottom port, of a stationary shaft within the fuselage, a pair of sheaves mounted to rotate'on said shaft, a pair of cables mounted onsaid sheaves, a mail receiver attached to said cables, manual means for rotating said sheaves to windand unwind 

